Clinton passed along Blumenthal advice to Obama White House

Hillary Clinton passed along to the White House advice from close personal adviser Sid Blumenthal on how President Barack Obama would do well to use a looming natural disaster as a tool for his reelection bid, despite Blumenthal's disgraced standing with the Obama administration.

"H: FYI. In case you or Bill have use for this. Done quickly am in spirit of John Lennon ("I read the news today, oh, boy"). Sid," Blumenthal wrote in the subject line of his email, sent Aug. 26, 2012, two days before Hurricane Isaac made landfall in Louisiana.

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Blumenthal's memo, addressed to then-White House chief of staff Jack Lew, notes that former President George W. Bush's "popularity collapsed" at the moment Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005. Vice President Joe Biden and the director of FEMA should be "on the scene before Isaac hits," he added, to raise his profile.

The hurricane's path ultimately forced the effective cancellation of the first day of the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida.

"The theme of the Republican convention is the failure of President Obama, not only on the economy but also generally as an effective chief executive," Blumenthal wrote in the memo. The FEMA effort after Isaac will: a. Implicitly contrast with the Bush one after Katrina; b. Demonstrate that the Obama administration is effective and acts in the public interest by effectively managing government; c. Show the indispensability of the federal government without ever having to make an ideological case."

For its part, the White House viewed Blumenthal as persona non grata, rejecting him as an official national security adviser at the start of Obama's administration. Obama aides have harbored a grudge about Blumenthal's role during the 2008 presidential primary fight between Obama and Clinton. But that did not stop Clinton from sharing his intelligence on this or numerous other occasions.

On Aug. 27, Clinton responded, "I passed this on to the White House. We'll see what happens."

"All Obama needs to do is turn up, surrounded by commanders, on the Gulf Coast, post-hurricane, on Saturday," Blumenthal responded less than 10 minutes later. "The hurricane is the counter-convention. It provides the counter message without ever having to debate it: Obama is effective, gets things done, government is essential, etc. The event is the message. Plus, on the anniversary of Katrina, the contrast is naturally made, and Bush pops up."